This year witnessed both surprising successes and unexpected failures in basic and clinical drug development. There were also mixed results for some newly tested drugs, which will probably prompt a careful reassessment of their therapeutic value. Our drug watch compilation summarizes the most talked about therapies of the year.
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Change history
08 December 2009
In the version of this article initially published, the sentence “However, it failed in trials against early-stage colon cancers, and reports suggested that it might promote cancer metastasis in certain circumstances” was incorrect. Although it has been suggested that other strategies targeting blood vessel growth factors might promote tumor growth, this has not been specifically shown for Avastin. The text should read “However, it failed in trials against early-stage colon cancers. Reports have also suggested that targeting blood vessel growth factors might promote cancer metastasis in certain circumstances.” The error has been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.
11 December 2009
In the version of this article initially published, it was stated that Denosumab had gained approval for use in osteoporosis treatment, when in fact it had only been recommended for approval. Additionally, the approval of its preventive use was recommended against until further data are available. The text should read “Several clinical trials tested this antibody, which counteracts bone loss. Although a US Food and Drug Administration committee recommended its approval for osteoporosis treatment, it recommended against approval of its preventive use—and its use to treat bone loss in certain cancer cases—until more data are available.” The error has been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.
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Aranda, V. Drugs in the headlines. Nat Med 15, 1353 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1209-1353a
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1209-1353a
